Nemanja Bjelica opens up on decision not to join Sixers

Nemanja Bjelica opens up on decision not to join Sixers

There was a bit of shell-shock when soon-to-be Philadelphia 76ers forward Nemanja Bjelica opted to toss the team a curveball.

After agreeing to terms with the Sixers in free agency, Bjelica was expected to fill the role previously held by Ersan Ilyasova as a key stretch-four off the bench. Unfortunately, the veteran forward has decided not to sign with the team and instead will stay in Europe.

It’s certainly frustrating to see the team lose out on a player expected to have a substantial role, but when reading the 30-year-old’s comments to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski, it all becomes a bit more understandable.

One of the first and most essential things Bjelica revealed to The Athletic, is that the decision had nothing to do with the Sixers or their organization, but instead was about his family.

“It’s not about coach or the Philly organization,” Bjelica told The Athletic in a phone conversation on Tuesday. “Brett Brown, he’s a great guy and a great coach. The most important thing for me is family and some kind of stability.”

…

“I made a decision too quickly,” Bjelica said. “It’s not about Coach Brown and the Philly organization. It’s just about me and my family.”

Krawczynski goes on to explain just how important the family aspect of this choice was to Bjelica, as the idea of moving his family to a new city for less than a year was unfair in the eyes of the veteran. He had hoped to receive a long-term deal which would allow his family the chance to carve out a life in a new place, but when that didn’t happen, doubt crept in.

Bjelica spent his early professional years playing overseas, and as he told Krawczynski, he’ll now look at options to play in Europe once again.

From the 2008-09 season through 2014-15, Bjelica played for three teams — KK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia), Laboral Kutxa Baskonia (Spain) and Fenerbahce Ulker (Turkey). He progressively improved his game, wrapping up his final year in Turkey by posting averages of 11.5 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field.

It seems unlikely that we’ll see Bjelica back in the NBA unless it happens to be on a multi-year deal. Regardless, though, Sixers fans will surely wish him and his family well as they move forward.